At the Myrtle Beach Tournament in South Carolina over the weekend, the Binghamton softball team set a Division I-era school-record for runs scored in a game, plating 20 in Sunday’s victory over Rider. The feat was just one part of a dominant trip for the Bearcats, who defeated both Rider and Manhattan twice.
After the Lady Pirates Classic — the tournament in which the Bearcats (8-6) were to originally compete — was canceled due to field conditions, the team quickly made plans to travel to Myrtle Beach instead.
“We kind of went into the tournament without being able to scout the teams a whole lot,” Binghamton head coach Michelle Burrell said. “That’s probably the only difference that changed other than making last-minute travel plans and having a longer bus trip. I thought the girls did a really good job of just not letting that affect how they played. I was definitely happy with that.”
The Bearcats put their travel woes aside when they stepped onto the diamond against Manhattan (2-2) on Saturday. Freshman pitcher Sarah Miller threw a complete game for the Bearcats, allowing five runs and picking up her fourth victory of the season in the process. Five of BU’s nine runs were knocked in by junior infielder Taylor Chaffee, including a three-run homer in the top of the second that put the Bearcats up, 3-1. Sophomore designated player Bridget Hunt added three RBIs to secure a 9-5 victory for Binghamton.
BU concluded its first day of play with a game against Rider (2-3). The Broncs jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth before the Bearcats evened the score on a Hunt solo home run. After Chaffee reached on an error in the bottom of the sixth, Hunt doubled, driving in what turned out to be the winning run. The Bearcats held the score at 3-2 behind a solid performance from junior pitcher Cara Martin, who came on in relief in the fourth inning to get the win.
Binghamton won by the largest margin of the weekend when it dominated Rider, 20-2, on Sunday morning. Junior first baseman Lisa Cadogan set the all-time program record with seven RBIs in the game. In the second inning alone, Cadogan drove in five runs, belting both a two- and a three-run homer. Adding to the offensive onslaught was junior outfielder Sydney Harbaugh, who went 3 for 5 with three RBIs. Defensively, junior pitcher Stephanie Arneson and Miller allowed just two hits throughout the matchup.
“[Our offensive production] is something that we’ve felt pretty good about all along this season,” Burrell said. “We like the fact that the girls have expressed that they don’t feel that extra pressure that they have to be the one to get a hit. I feel like everybody’s contributing and we’ve got really good competition within the team and they’re all working for each other, so I think that’s a really positive thing for us.”
The Bearcats continued to produce as they headed into their final game of the weekend, again taking on Manhattan. Harbaugh and Hunt were each 2 for 3 in the game and contributed two and three RBIs, respectively. Senior shortstop Caytlin Friis and sophomore outfielder Gabby Bracchi each added an RBI, helping their team to an 8-0 win in just five innings. Martin again came through for BU, pitching a gem against the Jaspers and holding them to just three hits.
“I think we just used the momentum from Saturday and just took that into Sunday,” Burrell said. “We were just putting a lot of pressure on them defensively, so we were hitting the ball hard and kind of forcing them to make some mistakes which we were able to take advantage of.”
The Bearcats are set to return to competition this weekend when they head to Raleigh to participate in the five-game NC State tournament. The first game is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Friday when BU faces Longwood at Dail Softball Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina.